


The Gravity of Souls

by YoChillDex



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, but remixed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-17 07:06:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5859022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoChillDex/pseuds/YoChillDex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>According to the Wikipedia page, the marks are supposed to guide you to your soulmate. But making sense of the random collection of in-jokes and references inked all over your skin is a hell of a lot harder in practice than in theory - especially when they seem to be pointing towards the last person on earth who'd want to be yours.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Soul mark" on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the quote, "What is love if not the gravity of souls?" by Courtney M. Privett.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A crash course in soul marks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE the "Soulmate-Identifying Markings" trope, but wanted to make it a little different. Reading the intro is crucial to understanding the rest of the story.

_**Retrieved from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:** _

_** ** _


	2. Samwell, Massachusetts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most of his classmates had found theirs over the past few months while applying for colleges — looking down to see the names of schools they’d never heard of winding around their wrists, or majors they were wavering on spelled out across their palms. Simple, obvious hints that would bring them straight to the love of their life, right there on their skin. 
> 
> Will had nothing.

Will was a freshman when he first heard about soulmate marks.

He was in the locker room, getting dressed after hockey practice when a bunch of the upperclassmen flooded out of the shower area, whooping loudly and clapping a red-faced Cal Thompson on the back. Cal was touching a dark spot on his chest self-consciously; Will assumed it was a hickey until Isaac Scott, the junior he shared a locker with, threw a wet towel at Cal and yelled, “What’s it say, Romeo?”

“‘Go Badgers,’” Cal said. The boys around him snickered.

“Guess this asshole’s coming to chase girls at Madison with me after all,” one of them crowed. He gave Cal a playful shove as the rest of the seniors made loud, smacking kissy noises.

Scotty turned back to the locker and snorted.

“Coop’s gonna have to get himself a new wingman,” he said, tugging a t-shirt over his head. “I’d bet my car that Cal’s the type of guy who's gonna find her before the end of orientation.”

Will frowned. “Find who?”

“His soulmate. Pay attention, Dexy.”

“I _am_ ,” he said. “But what does that have to do with his tattoo, or whatever?”

The older boy slowly shut the locker door and turned to stare incredulously at Will.

“Bro,” Scotty said. “It’s not a _tattoo_. It’s a soul mark. Didn’t your mom ever explain this to you?”

Will squirmed a little bit, his face burning with embarrassment.

“Um. No?”

“Huh.” Scotty squinted at him. "Well, basically, you get them when you’re making decisions that could lead you to your soulmate. They’re kind of like hints to make sure you’re on the right track.”

Will hitched his bag up onto his shoulder. “That’s it?”

“Yep,” the junior said, leading the way out of the locker room. “But just to clarify… You don’t need me to also explain, like, where babies come from, right?”

A swift punch to the arm made him squawk.

“ _No_. Jesus, Scotty.”

 

* * *

 

 

Eventually Will learned it was more or less a school tradition to get your first mark during your last year.

Fall semester of his senior year came and went. No mark.

Most of his classmates had found theirs over the past few months while applying for colleges — looking down to see the names of schools they’d never heard of winding around their wrists, or majors they were wavering on spelled out across their palms. Simple, obvious hints that would bring them straight to the love of their life, right there on their skin.

Will had nothing.

 

* * *

 

Earlier that year, his older sister had followed a mark shaped like Minnesota to a med school in the southern part of the state. She’d called home in October to tell them she’d met a cute pediatrics student with a mark shaped like Maine. Will could tell when Lauren asked about him because his mother turned away, phone pressed close to her ear.

“No, not yet,” she said, voice hushed.

At Christmas, Lauren brought the pediatrics student home to meet their family. They loved him, of course — Alex was sweet, charming, and completely in love. Lauren looked happier than Will had ever seen her, and she had more soulmate marks on her arms than the last time she'd been home.

Halfway through the night, Will noticed that when they held hands, their state-shaped marks brushed against each other. The jealous twinge in his chest made him guilty enough to go to bed early.

 

* * *

 

A few days after Christmas, Will and his mother sat down to plan out college tours for the spring.

“The UMass tour is that Tuesday,” Kathleen said, glancing at the calendar. “I think they have an overnight where someone on the team hosts you, but we’d still have to get a hotel for the other nights until Samwell’s tour.”

Will looked down at the pile of papers on their kitchen table — a small heap of prospective student tour itineraries, emails about scholarship offers, and promotional material — and frowned.

“Ma,” he said, picking at the corner of a red and white brochure absently. “If it’s too expensive, I can just tour UMass.”

She paused. “Your dad and I want you to look at the schools you’re interested in, honey.”

Her voice was firm, but she looked tired. Will shifted in his seat, feeling guilty for asking for the trip at all. Christmas was the worst time to ask for extra things.

He wished he didn't have to tour at all. He wished he could just _know_ like everyone else.

“I don’t think I’m interested in Samwell,” he insisted. “I’m leaning towards a state school anyway.”

 

* * *

 

When he blearily stumbled around his room to get dressed the next morning, Will found it — a line of blocky, collegiate lettering, dark against the pale skin of his freckled shoulder.

It said “Samwell, Massachusetts.”

His heart pounded.

_Finally_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is all about Nursey, then it'll switch between them within the chapters.


	3. Watch Where You're Going

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raised on fairy tales and poetry, he’d always dreamed his first soulmate mark would be something epic and romantic.
> 
> Which made it all the more disappointing when it actually appeared.
> 
> “Mom, it says ‘Watch where you’re going,’” Derek said. He was 18 years old and sitting on public transportation, but he couldn’t care less that he sounded like a whiny brat.

Derek wasn’t sure when he learned about soulmate marks, but he knew he was young. He remembered getting in trouble in kindergarten for writing on his classmates' hands and declaring them soulmates. He remembered knowing before most of his friends.

He remembered his mother telling him stories.

 

* * *

 

“No, mama,” four-year-old Derek said solemnly, pulling the copy of Mother Goose out of Diana Nurse’s hands and dropping it with a soft _fwump_ on the thick carpet of the nursery. “I want the words story, please.”

Diana scooped her son into her lap.

“All right. Once upon a time in a kingdom far away, there lived a handsome prince,” she said. “The prince was very clever, and his subjects loved him very much, but—”

“He was lonely,” Derek whispered urgently. “He lived by himself. With his cat.”

“What was his cat’s name?”

“Sylvia.” Same as the family cat.

“Okay.” She continued, “But the prince was very lonely, for his only company was his faithful cat, Sylvia. One day, the prince was lamenting his loneliness — that means he was sad about it — and he cried out, ‘Oh, if only there was someone to share my kingdom with!’”

“And then a fairy appeared!” Derek shouted.

(That part of the story varied from telling to telling — sometimes a witch would show up instead, or the prince’s fairy godmother. Once there was a dragon, but that version derailed pretty quickly.)

“A fairy appeared,” Diana echoed. “And said, ‘Sweet prince! Do not despair! There is someone perfect for you living right here in the kingdom!’”

“Give me a name!” Derek said, deepening his voice slightly into a “prince” voice.

“‘Your highness, that wouldn’t be fair,’ the fairy answered. ‘You must find this person for yourself.’”

“‘Then I’ll die alone.” Derek flung himself down melodramatically, acting the part of devastated royalty. Diana muffled a laugh before going on.

“The fairy pitied the prince. ‘Good sir,’ she said, ‘I’ll give you a hint. If you are as clever as people say, you will find your love before nightfall.’”

Derek, facedown on the bed, was quiet, so she deepened her voice and prompted, “‘What hint?’ said the prince.’”

‘The love you seek is close at hand, from simple stock, not rich or grand,” Derek recited softly, lifting his head. Diana smiled and ruffled his hair.

“‘But how will I remember?’ asked the prince.”

“‘I will write the words on your skin,’” Derek said, grabbing Diana’s hand and mimicking writing. “They will not wash off or fade as long as you live.’”

“The prince read the words on his hand over and over. ‘Simple stock!’ he said. ‘That must mean a servant! And close at hand… Why, it must be a servant of my house!’ The prince rushed about the castle, speaking to every servant, but every single one was too timid to talk to him. Except—”

“The stable boy,” Derek supplied.

(This varied, too. He sometimes said “maid” or “kitchen lady,” but more often it was the stable boy. Diana always went along with whatever he said.)

“The stable boy was not intimidated, and the two talked for hours. As the sun began to set, the prince realized that he had never met anyone he liked as much as the stable boy, and the stable boy felt the same. From then on, the prince spent all his time with the stable boy—”

“And Sylvia.”

“And Sylvia. And they lived happily ever after.”

 

* * *

 

It was Derek’s favorite story as a child. Raised on fairy tales and poetry, he’d always dreamed his first soulmate mark would be something epic and romantic.

Which made it all the more disappointing when it actually appeared.

“Mom, it says ‘Watch where you’re going,’” Derek said. He was 18 years old and sitting on public transportation, but he couldn’t care less that he sounded like a whiny brat.

His first mark was _terrible_.

On the other end of the line, his mother sighed.

“Sweetheart, I know it’s not Shakespeare, but it’s something. You’re getting close.”

“Mom, this literally means nothing to me.” He stared at the words scrawled across the back of his free hand. “I hear it at least fifty times a day. At _least_.”

“I don’t know. Is there anything different about today?”

“I’m visiting Samwell.”

“Maybe you’re supposed to keep an eye out for your soulmate there,” she said brightly. “Maybe they’ll be one of the fifty people who say it to you.”

“Oh my god.” Derek groaned and dragged a hand over his face. “Yeah, okay, Mom. I’ll keep a list and just narrow it down from there. ‘Excuse me, I’m so sorry I just face-planted in front of you, but could you just jot down your name and number? You might be my soulmate.’”

“That’s the spirit.”

 

* * *

 

On the way out of Faber, Derek got distracted by the contents of his goody bag (compliments of the insanely cheerful kid Shitty insisted was on the team). He didn’t see the guy ahead of him stop until he crashed into his back.

“Hey, watch where you’re going,” said the guy — a grumpy-looking redhead he’d heard someone call Dex.

“Sorry, bro,” Derek mumbled.

He didn’t even think about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dex and Nursey will start interacting more soon, I promise.


	4. 08/18/14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time he stepped on the ice with Will Poindexter, Nursey wondered how on earth he'd ever played with anyone else.

The first time he stepped on the ice with Will Poindexter, Nursey wondered how on earth he'd ever played with anyone else.

Guys at Andover had talked about d-partner chemistry sometimes, mostly in terms of good communication and solid passes, but this - this was something he'd never had with his high school teammates. He  _knew_ what Dex would do, where he was, and it felt like Dex was reading his mind. Their scrimmage opponents couldn't get anywhere close to the net and a perfectly-timed pass from Dex led to a goal by Nursey again and again and again.

By the time Nursey scored his third goal in fifteen minutes, Shitty was absolutely _howling_.

"Atta boy, Nursey, you sneaky little fucker," he bellowed. Nursey skated away with a grin on his face, glancing back just long enough to wink at Shitty.

And trip over Dex's stick.

He flung out a hand and grabbed the front of Dex's jersey, dragging the other d-man down to the ice with him in a desperate attempt to stay upright. The rest of the team cackled as Dex shoved him away.

"What the fuck, Nurse?" Dex huffed. They stumbled to their feet and Nursey bumped his fist into Dex's shoulder.

"Hey, chill," he said, still beaming. "It was an accident."

The other boy didn't smile back. Instead, he scowled and rolled his shoulders like a ruffled bird.

"Whatever," Dex grumbled.

 After that, their playing was shaky. There were a few more good passes and they mostly held their ground in their own end, but every good play was followed by a clumsy mistake. Dex’s face got redder and redder each time they screwed up until finally he snapped.

“Get out from under my skates, you _moron_ ," he yelled, shoving Nursey into the boards. "Are you _trying_ to trip me again?”

"Back off, man." He shoved back, and Dex's eyes glinted dangerously. Nursey braced himself for another hit, but suddenly Jack was between them, pushing them apart.

“Boys,” he barked. “Quit wasting practice time.”

 

* * *

 

Later, on the opposite end of the showers from Nursey, Dex found a fresh mark - "08/18/14," that day's date in tiny typewriter numerals - just above his left hipbone.

Dex reflexively covered it with his hand, remembering Cal Thompson's embarrassment when his mark had been revealed in the locker room in high school. After a moment, though, he realized he was probably safe. The thing was small enough to barely be noticeable and low enough that no one would dare look - unlike the sprawling mark on Holster's upper back that said ["You're not wrong"](https://41.media.tumblr.com/a7ab1a4ac1942cb15eacd4c0cb98de75/tumblr_o27bx2iXeC1ruk5kro1_1280.png) in bold, mismatched letters that looked like they'd been cut out of a newspaper.

 _August 18_ , he thought. _Maybe I'll meet them - her - today_.

People were starting to finish up their showers, including the other frogs. As they walked past, Dex vaguely registered Chowder chattering animatedly about something, to which Nursey replied, "Okay, yeah, but if you're wrong and my third one is stupid, too, you owe me ten bucks."

He couldn't give a shit what Nurse was complaining about. He was too busy deciding which coffee shop near campus would be the best place to meet girls.

 

* * *

 

Despite the fact Nursey finished showering first, Dex got dressed and sprinted out of the locker room before Nursey was even done toweling off his hair.

"I wonder why he's in such a hurry," Chowder said. Nursey snorted.

"Probably trying to get out before I get in his way again."

"C'mon, Nursey," Chowder whined, brows knit with anxiety. "He's probably just in a bad mood."

They finished getting dressed and started towards the door, but a hand on Nursey's shoulder stopped him.

"Bro," Holster said, dropping his hand once Nursey turned around. "You and Dex were totally killing it at the beginning of practice before-"

"-he turned into an asshole? Yeah, I know."

Holster sighed and leaned against the lockers.

"Look, dude," he said. You guys could kick some serious ass together  _and_ be buds if you just give it time. Rans and I clicked on the ice right away, but we were still kind of dicks to each other, like, the whole time we were frogs." He shrugged. "I think it's a d-men thing."

"I don't think I can be friends with that kid," Nursey said flatly. He ignored Chowder's tiny noise of unhappiness.

"You never know, man." Holster straightened up and hoisted his backpack onto his shoulders. "At least try to smooth things over. To ease an old man's mind?"

Chowder scrunched up his face. "Aren't you only like twenty-something?"

"Hush, Chowder."

Nursey rolled his eyes. "Okay, grandpa, I'll try."

 

* * *

 

Dex chose Annie’s.

He ordered black coffee - which tasted a hundred times better than the sludge he was used to drinking before boarding his uncle’s boat at ass o’clock in the morning - and sat down at a small table by the napkins. A strategic placement.

_Girl orders, walks over to grab a napkin, conversation ensues. Girl spills drink, I'll grab napkins and jump to her rescue, conversation ensues._

Dex looked around the nearly-deserted shop and sighed. The plan kind of needed another person to work.

The bell jingled and his head snapped up.

It was Nurse.

Dex rolled his eyes and pulled off the lid off his drink, pretending to be very interested in the exact color of its contents. Nursey ordered an iced mocha, paid, and then wandered over to his table. He tapped his knuckles lightly on the table once.

"Hey, bro."

"What do you want?" Dex demanded. Nursey shook his head, a tiny smirk on his face that said _yeah, that's what I was expecting._

"Just wanted to make sure we're cool," he said breezily. "And, uh, apologize for what happened at practice."

Which was... not what Dex had expected.

Nursey went on. "I swear, I wasn't doing it to piss you off. I’m just like, the clumsiest person on earth. I’ll keep it off the ice next time.” 

“You'd better.” It was out of his mouth before he could stop it - and a lot more teasing and less hostile than he intended.

Nursey tilted his head, then grinned slowly.

“Derek?” The barista called out. Nursey glanced over his shoulder before turning back.

"Will do," he said. "See you around, Dex." 

He gently punched Dex's shoulder - just as Dex lifted his drink. Hot coffee sloshed over the rim of the cup and all over Dex's hands. He swore loudly as Nursey reached behind him, frantically snatching up a pile of napkins.

"Ah, shit, dude, I'm so-" 

“Oh my god, Nursey," Dex groaned. " _Go away_."

Wincing with embarrassment, Nursey grabbed his iced coffee off the counter and did what he was told.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three things:
> 
> 1\. Nursey was complaining because he found a mark exactly like Dex's, just on the other hip. He's annoyed because he wants poetry and he now has two marks that are vague and/or super boring.
> 
> 2\. The lettering on Holster's huge mark is definitely supposed to sound like something you'd see in a ransom note. Absolutely intentional. If you click the link, you'll see what I was picturing. Font is "Kingthings Extortion Font."
> 
> 3\. Sorry about the month/day/year order in the date, but it's set in America, so.


End file.
